The International Rugby Board, meeting in Auckland, has decided against
watering down the eligibility rules for Pacific island players despite an
emotional plea in recent weeks by Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele.

Sailele went on New Zealand TV last month to argue that Pacific island players – often courted by giants like the All Blacks – should be free to represent their home nations if moves abroad fail.

The IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset confirmed today, however, that all players would remain barred from representing more than one country despite calls to ease the policy for Pacific islanders.

"This is the most unfair organisation, the IRB," Sailele had told TVNZ in a strongly worded attack. "The other national teams should have the guts to keep fighting and fighting and fighting to break up the monopoly," he said.

But Lapasset said the IRB's stance was aimed at encouraging the development of young Pacific players, who may remain in the shadows if established stars return from stints overseas.

"We have a system that you cannot return to the original union if you have played for other countries in the world. That's the point we have at the moment and we think it's important that we maintain that point for the moment," he said.

"Because the movement of players, in particular from the islands to Europe to France or to England or to Italy, is a huge development progress for the players but we don't know exactly what the position would be if you changed these regulations.

"It's a very sensitive programme but we think we have to protect academies in the islands the good training sessions, the good solution long-term for the players and not just thinking about top players going back."

IRB development chief Mark Egan said moves were in place to increase the exposure of Pacific teams to top Test nations, with Scotland due to play two games there next year and Italy and Wales to follow at a later date: "There is a commitment for tier one nations to tour Pacific islands up until 2019, which is the schedule which is approved at the moment," Egan said.